Cessna 310R – Light GA Twin
For FSX Published by Milviz / Flight1 Software
Reviewed by Brian (“Needles”) Buckley
Flying time 38 hours
March 2011
History
The C310 first flew in 1954 and remained in production until
1981, since then, many variations have transpired with various
models and modifications.
The model in this package is the C310R. It has 210-520-M engines
which produce 285hp each. 3 bladed Hartzell propellers and an
assortment of cockpits/avionics suites.
The C310 was Cessna’s first twin engine aircraft to be out into
production after World War II. There were 1332 Cessna
310R’s built before production ceased in 1981. The C310R was the
final variant of this super craft. The C310R is VFR/IFR capable
and is suitable for entry level or the more experienced pilots
out there.
The Download
Package
Download and installation was extremely simple. Simply download
and purchase the package after which, you will then get an
unlock code from
www.Flight1.com
Type the code in and fly that’s it!
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The
C310R's model depicted in this package is a highly
detailed replica of its real-life counterpart. The aircraft has a max range of 1511 nautical miles and a top speed of 207 knots so you can travel far and fast with ease. Other features of this aircraft are: • 3 VC setups, including a customisable version, using your own gauges • 5 different liveries • High resolution paint kit • 117 page manual. 5 manuals covering: • 1 - EDM700 • 2 - GARMIN GNS 430 • 3 - GARMIN GNS 530 • 4 - GARMIN GTX 330 • 5 - Military Visualizations Cessna 310R POH |
Cockpit
This package comes with both 2D and 3 variants of the 3D VC.
I must say that both the 2D and 3D VC panels are of
excellent quality complete with clear, easy to read
instrumentation.
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There are a total of four click spots on the 2D panel. They are defined in the manual as shown below. You very soon get used to where they are during flight.
The 3D panels have other hot click spots
which are also covered in depth in the manual. So for the
purpose of this review, I shall not cover them here, suffice
to say that you will find them extremely useful during your
flights.
Textures
Interior
The interior textures have been created to a very
high standard indeed with some of the greatest
looking leather and fabric textures around at the
moment.
The overall appearance in all versions of
this craft is one of a well used aircraft. Scratches
on the floorboards, creases in the upholstery etc.
etc., making the interior look as real as it can.
Everything in the cabin looks three dimensional
giving that extra air of realism. Wow!
Exterior
Your brain will deceive you into thinking you are
looking at a real world aircraft, such is the level
of detail on the C310R.
Included in the download are five exterior liveries,
all of which are again of an excellent quality.
There is also provision for designing your own
livery in the form of a paint kit. (Other liveries
and the paint kit are available from the MilViz
forum, and are free to download).
I have to mention the rivet detailing in particular
as MilViz has got this absolutely spot on in my
opinion.
The reflection in the glass is also a joy to the
eye. Some of the models also have a green tint to
the screen and windows, further enhancing the
realism of these aircraft.
It is hard to believe that this is the first GA
craft to come from the guys at MilViz. With such
stunning textures as they have produced.
Other distinguishing marks are the undercarriage
scrapes and exhaust flares along the underbelly.
Paint deterioration marks on the leading edges and
around the various doors all come to make the C310R
a pleasure and privilege to have in your hangar.
Attention to detail appears to have been the number
one objective in the MilViz camp when designing the
C310R.
The MilViz C-310R features a utility that allows
the pilot to toggle on/off the pilot (exterior views
only),chocks, and inlet plugs and pitot tube covers.
You can access the Pre-flight Utility by either
selecting “Shift-7” on your keyboard, or by right
clicking the virtual cockpit panel to then select
the “Cockpit” option.
The utility features three
selectable lights. By hovering the mouse arrow over
and clicking the left mouse button, the pilot may
toggle the lights off (red) or on (green). To show
the pilot, the green light is toggled. To remove the
chocks and plugs/covers, you toggle the green light.
In short, to fly, you “green up!”
Sounds
The sounds included with this were recorded using an actual
Cessna 310R and as you would imagine, are very realistic and
you get a sense of being in the real world aircraft.
From the clicking of switches to pumps and flap operations,
you will not be disappointed. The manual recommends sound
settings of 50% with the voice settings at 75%. These
settings should enable you to hear the ATC above all the
various noises coming from the aircraft.
You will also notice a weird sound every so often which,
when reading on various forums, turns out to be and I quote
“is caused by an old style door seal motor that developed a
pin hole in the air line of the door seal”.
I found this to be a little annoying but not so much as to
ruin my flight, this actually happened to the owner of
the aircraft the sounds were recorded from.
Animations
There are various animations included with the C310R which
you would expect from a high end add-on.
There are four doors to open and close including, main exit,
fuselage stowage and two wing luggage compartments. All open
and close as smoothly as the real deal.
There is also a pilot’s side opening window. Obviously there
are also animations for the landing gear and lights. The
landing light switch has three settings which is, in my
opinion, an added bonus considering the cost of this add-on.
The settings are: off with lights hidden in the wings,
extended from the wings but switched off and finally all
landing lights on. Brilliant!!
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| All the switches, dials etc that you would expect from an aircraft designed for FSX are actually fully functional in the C310R and include some switches that have various functions, other than simply on or off. | ||
GPS
I would suggest that if you are serious about flying the
C310R, you read the manuals supplied in depth. This will
enable you to get to grips with not only the aircraft but
also the various GPS systems supplied with this add-on.
MilViz have gone to great lengths to include some
exceptional manuals and it would be a travesty were you to
simply ignore them. I found that by reading the GPS manuals
I gained a better grasp of the intricacies of each unit
supplied. I am still learning and find myself going back to
the manuals over and over again so as to use the GPS systems
to the best of their abilities.
MilViz has programmed more capabilities into the default FSX
PS 500 unit, giving you more realistic units in the GPS430
and 530.
Those of you that are already conversant with the various
forms of GPS systems on the market will have no trouble
using those included with the C310R. I am still learning to
use GPS to its full potential so it did take me a while to
get through my pre-flight setups but perseverance really
does pay off and makes for a truly realistic flight.
GARMIN GNS 430 & 530
Flight
Dynamics
The C310R from MilViz has all the flight dynamics of the
real aircraft. This is no simple add-on that you can simply
set the realism to easy and get away with it.
MilViz has spared nothing when it comes to realism. You
really do need to do your pre-flight checks, pre-startup
checks etc etc.
I have a Saitek Pro Flight yoke with a single throttle
quadrant. This did give me some headaches at first but once
I had re-mapped some switches to account for such a quality
add-on, I was fine.
It is possible to set the yoke into mode 2 or 3 and then
re-map a second lever on the quadrant as a second throttle
for engine #2. This worked for me.
It is definitely worth reading ALL the checklists if you
want to get the best out this excellent aircraft.
Performance
Whilst flying the C310R, there was no apparent hit on my
frame rates and I do have a tendency to switch between
external and 3D cockpit views, (bad habits die hard).
Liveries
Here are the liveries included with the package.
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N5077J 3D Analog |
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N5225J G1000 |
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YV2068 Free Radio |
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C-GTER Free Radio |
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D-IRFT 3D Analog |
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C-OLIN Free Radio |
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Summary
MilViz, synonymous for developing Military Aircraft for the
flight sim’ community have pulled the rabbit out of the bag
for their first foray into General Aviation. And what a
rabbit it is. The C310R has proved to be an excellent first
GA aircraft from MilViz and hopefully this will lead to more
GA craft coming from their stable
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The guys at MilViz have spared nothing in the development of
the C310R as you will see when you download and install it.
From the luscious cockpit and cabin to the extraordinary
detailing of the exterior modelling.
The flight dynamics are all in place also. If you don’t pay
attention to flying this aircraft to the best of your
ability it will sneak up and bite you. It truly is an
aircraft for everyone.
If you are in to military aircraft, download this as a
training aid to faster machines. If you are in to GA flying,
download this now. You will not be disappointed.
The accompanying manuals are also works of art. They are
brimming with all the facts and information you will ever
need, to get behind the yoke and take to the skies.
If you are a newcomer to twin engine general aviation
aircraft, take your time and read the documentation and
practice flying with reduced realism settings and use the
Free Radio setup. That way it will ease you into what is, in
my opinion, a brilliant aircraft for your hangar.
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Verdict
After having so much fun learning and flying the C310R from
MilViz, I have to award it a Mutley’s Hangar score of 9.5/10.
Superb guys, very well done! I look forward to more GA from
the MilViz stable.
Mutley's Hangar score of
9.5/10
Brian Buckley
Review machine Spec: Intel Core 2 Duo @ 3.15 hz |
4Gb 800Mhz DDR2 Ram |GTX285 Graphics |Windows 7
64bit
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System Requirements
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